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Friday, August 10, 2012

I am afraid of cockroaches. Cockroaches are the stuff of my worst nightmares and my run-ins with them have scarred me for life. It kinda helps that I am an entomologist - knowing the facts about these ugly bugs has helped me (somewhat) overcome my fear of cockroaches. And I can lay claim to having been a roach rancher in the past. But I still get cockroach nightmares every once in a while, and I still scream if one takes me by surprise.

Cockroaches seem to have a vendetta against me. They have terrorized me since I was a kid. Into my teens, these horrible creatures upped their game and their targeted attacks grew worse, culminating in a terrifying epic showdown in my early adulthood where I emerged (somewhat) victorious.

I'll start with my earliest memory of roach terrorization. I was a wee girl. The scene: in the kitchen, watching Ma make dinner while munching on an apple. The Terror: I glanced at my apple right before taking another bite, and saw a huge cockroach perched on the apple. Its antennae jerked back and forth. It was looking right at me. I was too horrified to scream. I don't remember what happened after that. I think I was too traumatized...

I had waist-length hair as a teenager. We lived with my Popo and Kung Kung - us three kids (more now) situated in a room next to the kitchen. So I was sleeping in a mattress on the floor, my hair spread out over the pillow. In my sleep (I am a light sleeper), I felt something rustle in my hair. Immediately guessing (to my horror) what it was, I started grabbing at my hair. I felt something leathery, a little squishy, and large, and I knew it was a cockroach. I grabbed it, ripping out some of my hair with it, and flung it blindly across the corner of the room, while simultaneously leaping up and flipping the light switch. I lost sight of the roach! I spent the rest of the night lying in terror on my mattress thinking of it crawling around the room awaiting its revenge...

I'll post my next two worse experiences next time. This is all I can handle for now hehe. Have you been terrorized by a cockroach? What's your worst cockroach nightmare? I'd love to hear your story!

xo Gracie

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